Phenolic acids such as ferulic and coumaric acids are covalently linked to mainly dietary fibre components such as arabinoxylans and pectins and influence their physicochemical properties in various food preparations. Besides acting as flavour compounds, phenolic acids are known to be possessing anticarcinogenic, antimutagenic, and antioxidant properties and hence their presence in dietary fibre components is very important for preparing health, geriatric and infant foods based on cereals. Phenolic acids are also present as free acids in very small amounts both in the cereals as well as malts. However, they undergo decarboxylation, in the process decreasing their utility value. Hence the bound phenolic acid content is very important for the positive health benefits of dietary fibre components.
For phenolic acids' chemistry, biochemistry and biotechnology the following articles can be referred.                Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, Vol. 79 (1999) No. 3, pp 355–490.        Non-starchy polysaccharide and bound phenolic acids from native and malted finger millet (Ragi, Eleusine coracana, Indaf-15), M. V. S. S. T. Subba Rao and G. Muralikrishna, Food Chemistry, Vol. 72 (2001) 187–192.        Evaluation of the antioxidant properties of free and bound phenolic acids from native and malted finger millet (Ragi, Eleusine coracana, Indaf-15), M. V. S. S. T. Subba Rao and G. Muralikrishna, J. Agric. Food. Chem., February 2002.Removal of starch by specific enzymatic treatments is a prerequisite step to prepare phenolic acid rich dietary fibre components from cereals and their malts. For preparing dietary fibres from cereals and their malts following reviewing articles can be referred.        Food Chemistry, Vol. 57 (1996) No. 1, pp 15–21.        Food Rev. Int., Vol. 13 (1997) pp 29–76.In the existing process enzymes from bacteria (Termamyl, thermostable enzyme) and fungi (Aspergillus niger, glucoamylase) are used to remove starch.        
Bacterial α-amylase is a thermostable enzyme and it degrades starch in to dextrins at boiling temperature (˜98° C.), which in turn are converted in to glucose by glucoamylase at 55° C. This procedure is a long drawn one, which involves high temperature treatment and enzyme cost.